Frank Funk (baseball)

Franklin Ray Funk (born August 30, 1935) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher. He played from 1960–63 for the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Braves. During a 4-year baseball career, he compiled 20 wins, 150 strikeouts, and a 3.01 ERA.

Born in Washington, D.C., he was signed by the New York Giants as an amateur free agent in 1954. Funk was acquired by Cleveland's AAA International League Toronto Maple Leafs team prior to the 1959 season. He made the most of his debut after a late season call-up from the Maple Leafs in September 1960, finishing with a 4–2 record, a 1.99 earned run average, and 1 save in just nine games for Cleveland.

His best season was 1961, when he posted a won-loss record of 11–11 and led Cleveland with 11 saves and an ERA of 3.31, appearing in 56 games. Two of his victories, both recorded in May, involved pitching over seven innings per game in relief during 15-inning games against the Baltimore Orioles and Minnesota Twins.^[1] A profile of Funk in the book "Portrait of a Franchise: An Intimate Look at Cleveland Indians Baseball During the Rockin' Sixties" documents his important role with the team in the early 1960s.

After a 2–1 season with a 3.24 ERA and six saves in 1962 over 47 games, he was traded to the Milwaukee Braves along with outfielders Don Dillard and Ty Cline for first baseman Joe Adcock and pitcher Jack Curtis. He pitched one season for the Braves, posting a record of 3–3 over 25 games, with an ERA of 2.68 in 1963.

He served as a minor league manager and pitching coach, and also coached in the Major Leagues with the San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Kansas City Royals and Colorado Rockies.

References

External links

• Career statistics and player information from MLB, or Baseball-Reference, or Baseball-Reference (Minors)
• Retrosheet
• Venezuelan Professional Baseball League
• Biographical Information